Cognitive Deficits in Patients Who Recovered from Critical Covid-19: Unexpected Results of Follow-Up Patients Running title: Cognitive deficits and COVID-19

Abstract

Purpose: To identify the presence of cognitive sequelae in patients who underwent prolonged orotracheal intubation and who received a speech therapy assessment and rehabilitation during hospitalization due to COVID19. Methods: Participants of the study were 50 individuals, 24 females (43.55%) and 26 males (56.45%), with a mean age of 57.8 years (±14.35), who received treatment at Hospital das Clínicas of the School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo, Brazil (HCFMUSP) due to critical COVID-19. Demographic and clinical data were collected using Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination - Revised Version (ACE-R) [1]. Results: Results indicated the presence of cognitive deficits in 75% of the participants for all of the tested skills. Conclusion: The results of the present study indicated the presence of cognitive deficits in all of the tested parameters. Future studies should include new analyzes correlating patient severity at hospital admission, demographic data and cognitive abilities.